Joanne Nadeau grew up in Alexandria, a small town in eastern Ontario.  She was the youngest and only girl, and with five older brothers, playing sports was a high priority.

In Alexandria, Joanne’s parents, Aline and Rene Menard, managed the local bowling centre and the entire family enjoyed the sport.  Brother Bernie, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005, introduced the Youth Bowling Council (YBC) program to the centre and Joanne qualified for the provincial finals on four occasions.

In 1987, Joanne and her brother Alain took over the bowling centre and they worked together for ten years.  At that time, Joanne’s husband, Mario, joined and they ran the centre until it closed in 2009.

Following her success in YBC, Joanne was ready for the adult ranks and in 1989, she qualified for her first provincial championship, known as the Open, and conducted by the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association.  Overall, she has bowled in 23 Opens with 15 times in the singles, on 17 ladies’ teams and a mixed team in 2007.  Since 2015, Joanne has concentrated on qualifying for the Senior Open, hoping, in part, to bowl with some family members.  While this has happened over the years, Joanne has totally dominated the ladies division, with four consecutive ladies singles titles.  To illustrate her continuing excellence, Joanne won the ladies high single award, with a 393 opening game at the 2018 Senior Open in Hamilton.

To further challenge their abilities, both Joanne and Bernie joined the Master Bowlers’ Association.  At that time, bowlers were allowed to participate in more than one province and, in Ontario, they both won their first event in the scratch section of the Mid-Winter Blues.  Joanne would go on to win four more provincial events.  Moreover, in 1989, Joanne qualified for the singles through Quebec and, bowling in St. John’s Newfoundland, won the national singles title under the banner of the Master Bowlers’ Association of Canada.

This victory coincided with a rule change and Joanne was limited to bowl in only one province, namely Ontario.  Despite the tougher competition, Joanne dominated by qualifying for the Ontario ladies team for five consecutive years from 2005 to 2009.  In literally a cross Canada tour, Joanne won a silver medal in Red Deer, Alberta in 2005 before winning three gold medals in 2006 in Winnipeg, 2007 in Vancouver, and 2008 in Hamilton.  With her singles win in 1989 in Newfoundland, Joanne won gold medals from coast to coast. Joanne has also qualified on four occasions to represent Ontario on the TSN Pins Game and she earned $4000.00 for her efforts.  Also, in 2010, her contribution to the sport of 5 pin bowling was recognized with induction to the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame.

Joanne and her husband, Mario, continue to live in eastern Ontario and their son, Julian, has advanced to the adult ranks with some success, including the only perfect game in the family.

In closing, Joanne and Mario, who were married in 1990, now live in Alexandria and enjoy golf and their Harley Davidson motorcycles which allows them to travel throughout North America.  As well, outside the home, Joanne is a Dental Assistant at the local Alexandria Dental Clinic.  Joanne is truly une étoile dans la salle de quilles - Hall of Famer, Joanne Nadeau.